Our History
The Union Church of Guatemala’s History
A 81 Year Legacy of Faith
By Wayne J. Pitts, Ph.D.
The Union Church of Guatemala is an international, interdenominational church dedicated to serving the English-speaking Protestant population of Guatemala. The history of the church can be traced back to President Justo Rufino Barrios, who served from 1873-1885 and supported the development of the Protestant church to counter the power of the Catholic Church. In August 1882, President Barrios traveled to New York, and he met with the Presbyterian Council on Foreign Missions to discuss the possibility of assigning a permanent missionary to Guatemala. Reverend John Clark Hill accepted the invitation and arrived with Barrios in Guatemala on Nov. 2, 1882.
Offered police protection by the president, the affable missionary went to work straight away. His influence soon spread to include not only the president but also most members of the cabinet. Within six months, Reverend Hill had established Guatemala’s first English- speaking congregation, the first Protestant school (La Patria), and the first Spanish-speaking Protestant congregation.
For the next 60 or so years, regular English-language protestant services were held in the Central Presbyterian Church. Dr. Wallace G. Anderson, a Presbyterian missionary whose field placement was disrupted by World War II, was reassigned to Guatemala and became the first formal, albeit part-time, pastor of the English-speaking, interdenominational congregation in Guatemala City. In May 1943, the first meeting was called on the question of formally organizing a church, and about 30 people present voted to become the charter members of the Union Church of Guatemala.
In 1946, Robert McVean, one of the founding members, sent a letter to the University of Chicago seeking to recruit a pastor for the Union Church. In 1947, Dr. Charles T. Holman, retired dean of the Baptist Divinity School, became the first full-time pastor with a three-year appointment. On March 2, 1947, a committee led by Dr. Charles Ainsley and John Blane began to look for a suitable location to build a permanent facility. One of Blane’s employees, who was also a patient of Dr. Ainsley, had a sister, Martha Klein de Calvo, who owned some land near the Blanes’ home close to the Plazuela España, and she was eventually persuaded to sell the land to the church.
Nathan Perry was appointed chairman of the building committee, and the architect, Harry L. Pierce, designed the Colonial Spanish Renaissance-style building that would become the Union Church. While Pierce, the distinguished American ecclesiastical architect, did insist that the costs for him and his wife to attend the dedication of the church be provided, he donated all of his work for the cause, and the prominent church tower is named in his honor. Blane, whose wife had been instrumental in the establishment of the Sunday School program, was a successful insurance broker in Guatemala. In a meeting to discuss the future building plans, he committed to donate $50,000 toward the building plans and offered to loan the balance of the funds needed to complete the construction project.
The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Union Church was held on September. 25, 1949, and the cornerstone was laid on Feb. 12, 1950. Pierce’s architectural designs provided the necessary base infrastructure to support the interior design features developed by supervising architect, Gus Jacobsthal, and other engineers and architects of the well-known firm Prado Vélez-Jacobsthal. These architectural details can be seen throughout the sanctuary, including all of the furnishings, doors, pews, pulpit, baptismal fount, central communion table and the capitols for the columns. The total cost of the building was US$154,679. The adjusted costs for today would be around US$1,650,000. The first worship service was held in the church on May 3, 1951, and the dedication service was held three weeks later on May 27.
The chapel is named in honor of John Blane, whose generosity and faithfulness made the building possible. The Anderson Room is named after the first part-time pastor, and the Perry Room is named after Nathan Perry, the chairman of the building committee. Holman Hall is named after the first full-time pastor, Charles T. Holman. The very special Rose Window above the sanctuary shows Christ praying to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified. The window was donated to the church by Dr. Holman and his wife Belle, in memory of their son, U.S. Army Sgt. Charles M. Holman, who was killed in England during World War II.
In May 2018, the Union Church of Guatemala celebrated 75 years of serving God in Guatemala. A series of commemorative events were held, including guided tours of the facility, special prayer and preaching services, and a variety of fellowship events to celebrate our history and our promising future.
Offered police protection by the president, the affable missionary went to work straight away. His influence soon spread to include not only the president but also most members of the cabinet. Within six months, Reverend Hill had established Guatemala’s first English- speaking congregation, the first Protestant school (La Patria), and the first Spanish-speaking Protestant congregation.
For the next 60 or so years, regular English-language protestant services were held in the Central Presbyterian Church. Dr. Wallace G. Anderson, a Presbyterian missionary whose field placement was disrupted by World War II, was reassigned to Guatemala and became the first formal, albeit part-time, pastor of the English-speaking, interdenominational congregation in Guatemala City. In May 1943, the first meeting was called on the question of formally organizing a church, and about 30 people present voted to become the charter members of the Union Church of Guatemala.
In 1946, Robert McVean, one of the founding members, sent a letter to the University of Chicago seeking to recruit a pastor for the Union Church. In 1947, Dr. Charles T. Holman, retired dean of the Baptist Divinity School, became the first full-time pastor with a three-year appointment. On March 2, 1947, a committee led by Dr. Charles Ainsley and John Blane began to look for a suitable location to build a permanent facility. One of Blane’s employees, who was also a patient of Dr. Ainsley, had a sister, Martha Klein de Calvo, who owned some land near the Blanes’ home close to the Plazuela España, and she was eventually persuaded to sell the land to the church.
Nathan Perry was appointed chairman of the building committee, and the architect, Harry L. Pierce, designed the Colonial Spanish Renaissance-style building that would become the Union Church. While Pierce, the distinguished American ecclesiastical architect, did insist that the costs for him and his wife to attend the dedication of the church be provided, he donated all of his work for the cause, and the prominent church tower is named in his honor. Blane, whose wife had been instrumental in the establishment of the Sunday School program, was a successful insurance broker in Guatemala. In a meeting to discuss the future building plans, he committed to donate $50,000 toward the building plans and offered to loan the balance of the funds needed to complete the construction project.
The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Union Church was held on September. 25, 1949, and the cornerstone was laid on Feb. 12, 1950. Pierce’s architectural designs provided the necessary base infrastructure to support the interior design features developed by supervising architect, Gus Jacobsthal, and other engineers and architects of the well-known firm Prado Vélez-Jacobsthal. These architectural details can be seen throughout the sanctuary, including all of the furnishings, doors, pews, pulpit, baptismal fount, central communion table and the capitols for the columns. The total cost of the building was US$154,679. The adjusted costs for today would be around US$1,650,000. The first worship service was held in the church on May 3, 1951, and the dedication service was held three weeks later on May 27.
The chapel is named in honor of John Blane, whose generosity and faithfulness made the building possible. The Anderson Room is named after the first part-time pastor, and the Perry Room is named after Nathan Perry, the chairman of the building committee. Holman Hall is named after the first full-time pastor, Charles T. Holman. The very special Rose Window above the sanctuary shows Christ praying to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified. The window was donated to the church by Dr. Holman and his wife Belle, in memory of their son, U.S. Army Sgt. Charles M. Holman, who was killed in England during World War II.
In May 2018, the Union Church of Guatemala celebrated 75 years of serving God in Guatemala. A series of commemorative events were held, including guided tours of the facility, special prayer and preaching services, and a variety of fellowship events to celebrate our history and our promising future.
